This club has such a rich history of success. We aim to add to that
SAYS NEW DUNDEE UNITED OWNER MARK OGREN
YESTERDAY was a significant occasion in the history of Dundee United as new owner Mark Ogren broke cover to meet the media for the first time since purchasing the 110-year-old Tayside institution. The 56-year-old businessman from Minnesota has bought 85 per cent of the club’s shares after making his money in the petrochemicals industry. Already boasting interests in baseball in the US, Ogren has been keen to move into football in Europe for a number of years. But why a Scottish club that’s fallen on hard times? And how does he plan to get United back to the top while realising his investment?
Sportsmail’s JOHN McGARRY was at Tannadice to find out.
WHY DUNDEE UNITED AND SCOTTISH FOOTBALL?
‘It didn’t start off to be Scottish football specifically, it was European football.
‘We have been involved with American sports teams before and we just like the model of European football.
‘So we looked at different opportunities throughout Europe and actually kept coming back to Dundee United.
‘It just felt right. It has a rich history but had fallen back from where they had been and where the expectation is for this club.
‘So we just felt like we could come in, make a difference to get the team promoted and being successful.’
WOULDN’T IT BE EASIER GOING TO A CLUB THAT WAS ALREADY SUCCESSFUL?
‘Absolutely. There is a path. They have been there, the facilities are here and the fan base is here.
‘Everybody we have ever talked to says Dundee United belong in the Premiership.’
ARE YOU AWARE OF THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN FANS AND THE CLUB IN RECENT YEARS?
‘I am not sure I know it all but I know enough to realise there is an issue.
‘As I have said before, we appreciate the fan clubs and the fan base we have here.
‘I would rather have negativity than no response at all. That means people care and I like that.
‘We are not going to please all the people all the time but we had our meeting with the fans groups and I thought it went really well.
‘We told them from a high level what our plan is and they seemed to be pleased with that but we also realise that they have been told a lot of things in the past.
‘There are some things we can control and some we can’t control.
‘We are going to do what we can to put things in place here to give them success again.’
WHAT IS YOUR GRAND PLAN?
‘It started off by making sure we were putting the right people in the right places.
‘When we purchased the club, Robbie Neilson was already here but we felt he is the right man for the position. So we are not going to do any changing there.
‘We brought Tony Asghar in as the sporting director. Tony has connections not only in European football but world football.
‘He knows people and can bring people in. He will work closely with Robbie to identify the key players we need in order to get promoted.
‘We brought Mal Brannigan in and he is going to be the managing director — he will run the business side. So essentially, he will be our CEO.
‘I am only going to get over here every couple of months maybe, so we need the right people in the right places on a daily basis.
‘We need boots on the ground here to make sure we are doing the right things on a regular basis.’
IS THIS A FINANCIAL INVESTMENT?
‘We expect to make money. But we are not going to make money with this size of club in the Championship. So we need to spend money in order to get promoted. Equally important, or more important, we need to stay up in the Premiership. We need sustained success here in the long term in order to be profitable and maintain that success.’
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL IS GENERALLY A LOSS-MAKING BUSINESS. SO HOW CAN YOU MAKE PROFIT?
‘We have modelled it. We have a plan. It starts with putting the right people in the right places who have had success in their positions. We absolutely feel we have the right people. Then we need to make an investment. But in order to make money we need to get into the Premiership — and if we can get there and stay there, we feel we can be successful.’
HOW DO YOU DO THAT — THROUGH PLAYER SALES?
‘It’s part of the model. Also through our academy here. We are going to have a big focus on that.’ ‘That’s the plan. Yes.’
WHAT’S YOUR BACKGROUND?
‘We have some private companies that we’ve run. We are based in the state of Minnesota. So the weather over here did not discourage us at all... it’s worse over there. So we have a more business background although we have been involved in some sports teams in the United States, a couple of baseball teams and an ice hockey team. We currently only own one baseball team — we have divested of the others to focus on what we have here.
‘The baseball team is the Sioux Falls Canaries. It’s an independent professional baseball team playing in the American Association.
‘We go to some stadiums and play in front of 8,000 or 9,000 people at the top end and maybe a couple of thousand at the low end — and anywhere in between that. It’s not Major League but it is professional.’
ARE YOU SURPRISED AT ALL THE SPECULATION THAT YOU ARE SECRETLY PLANNING A MERGER WITH DUNDEE?
‘Initially, maybe... I’ve been asked that question more than any other question. Which is fine. I understand the concern.
‘In the fans’ forum last night someone said: “We are passionate. Just so you know, it’s not like our favourite pub is going out of business, or our favourite grocery store. You can go to another pub or another grocery story. This is our lifestyle. We have grown up with Dundee United. This is very important to us. So if we ask some specific questions about the debt you are going to have or any other specific, personal questions, it is not that we are trying to be nosey, it is because we are interested — we want to make sure the team remains viable”.
‘I get that. I like that.’ ‘It will not. I have had no contact with the people at Dundee.
DO YOU PLAN TO SPEAK TO THEM?
‘I’d be open to meeting them and probably will sometime. But it won’t be to have any discussions on a merger at all, we are not interested in that.’
GROUND-SHARING WOULDN’T NECESSARILY MEAN A MERGER, THOUGH, AND DUNDEE ARE LOOKING TO BUILD A NEW STADIUM. IS THAT A POSSIBILITY?
‘I also see the club’s future as being at Tannadice, definitely. This
is one of the assets we purchased, it’s a great facility so we absolutely plan on staying here as our home.’
HOW DO YOU WIN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE FANS?
‘There is much more passion in the fanbase here than what we experienced in the teams we have been involved in before. But I like that.
‘I have said before that talk is cheap. We can say all day long what we’re going to do but the proof is in the pudding — we have to perform. We need results.
‘I would ask the fans to be patient, there is a plan in place and we will follow that to success.’
WHAT WILL YOUR STYLE AS AN OWNER BE?
‘I will be a low-key owner, I won’t be here enough to be high-profile. ‘I don’t micro-manage, I am hands-on in that I’m very interested and engaged in what we’re doing. ‘But I won’t be here, we need boots on the ground here and that’s why we have gone to get the people we have in place.’
EVERY UNITED FAN IS HOPING THAT THIS IS THEIR LAST YEAR IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP. BUT WHAT WOULD THE CONSEQUENCE BE IF THE TEAM FAILS TO GET PROMOTED?
‘Getting promotion is important but it’s not a life-or-death situation. If we don’t go up we will be extremely disappointed but we will just reassess everything and do everything we can to get promoted next year.’
HAVE YOU BEEN EDUCATING YOURSELF ON THE CLUB’S GLORY DAYS?
‘I have been catching up on the club’s history and talking to people.
‘They have been great. I know the club beat Barcelona four times. We want to get back into European football.’